Reformers

The Reformers were a political faction in the late Qing dynasty of China that sought to modernize the country on Western lines in the late 19th century. The group was initially led by Li Hongzhang, a brilliant Chinese statesman who held various high offices in 1871-1901. It was also led by the Guangxu Emperor and his close advisers (the "Six Gentlemen"), who attempted to implement the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898. The Emperor's attempt failed when Empress Dowager Cixi and her reactionary Imperial Faction intervened, placing him under house arrest and had his inner circle executed. By the early 1900s the movement was effectively dissolved. Other prominent individuals included Kang Guangren, Yang Shenxiu, Yang Rui, Lin Xu, Tan Sitong, and Liu Guangdi.